Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
STOCKHOLM, July 29 (Xinhua) — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met here on Monday, agreeing to deepen cooperation and support free trade.
He Lifeng noted that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sweden, on which occasion Chinese President Xi Jinping and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf exchanged congratulatory messages in May.
Under the strategic guidance of the two leaders, China-Swedish cooperation continues to expand in various fields, with increasingly closer economic and trade ties and broad prospects for future development, said the vice premier.
He Lifeng said China is willing to work with Sweden to strengthen communication and deepen cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, mutual trust, equality and mutual benefit. The two sides should jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, and promote the healthy and sustainable development of bilateral relations, he added.
The Chinese official also, at the request of the Swedish side, informed it about the latest round of Chinese-American trade and economic negotiations.
U. Kristersson noted that Sweden attaches great importance to developing cooperation with China and firmly supports free trade and economic globalization. His country intends to use the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to deepen practical cooperation in many areas in order to achieve more positive results in Swedish-Chinese relations. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
median consumer perceptions of inflation over the previous 12 months remained unchanged, as did median expectations for inflation three and five years ahead, while median inflation expectations for one year ahead decreased;
expectations for nominal income growth over the next 12 months remained unchanged, while expectations for spending growth over the next 12 months decreased;
expectations for economic growth over the next 12 months became less negative, while the expected unemployment rate in 12 months’ time decreased;
expectations for growth in the price of homes over the next 12 months decreased slightly, as did expectations for mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead.
Inflation
In June, the median rate of perceived inflation over the previous 12 months remained unchanged at 3.1% for the fifth consecutive month, its lowest level since September 2021. Meanwhile, median expectations for inflation over the next 12 months decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 2.6%, meaning that the increases observed in March and April were fully reversed in May and June. Expectations for three years ahead were unchanged at 2.4%, while expectations for inflation five years ahead held steady at 2.1% for the seventh consecutive month. Uncertainty about inflation expectations over the next 12 months was unchanged in June. Broadly, the evolution of inflation perceptions and expectations followed similar trends across income groups. However, over the previous year and a half lower income quintiles reported slightly higher inflation perceptions and short-horizon expectations than higher income quintiles. Younger respondents (aged 18-34) continued to report lower inflation perceptions and expectations than older respondents (aged 35-54 and 55-70), although the gap was narrower than in previous years.
Consumers’ expectations for nominal income growth over the next 12 months remained unchanged at 1.0% in June. However, this apparent stability conceals a decline in expectations among higher income individuals, offset by an increase in expectations among lower income groups. Perceived nominal spending growth over the previous 12 months held steady at 5.0% in June. In contrast, expected nominal spending growth over the next 12 months decreased further to 3.2% in June, from 3.5% in May and 3.7% in April. This decline reflects the heightened economic uncertainty of recent months as well as lower expected inflation.
Economic growth expectations for the next 12 months became less negative, rising to -1.0% in June from -1.1% in May and -1.9% in April. Expectations for the unemployment rate 12 months ahead edged down to 10.3% in June, from 10.4% in May. Consumers continued to expect that the future unemployment rate would be only slightly higher than the perceived current unemployment rate (9.8%), suggesting a broadly stable labour market outlook.
Consumers expected the price of their home to increase by 3.1% over the next 12 months, a slight decline from 3.2% in May. Expectations for mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead fell to 4.3%, down from 4.4% in May. As in previous months, lower income households expected the highest mortgage interest rates 12 months ahead (4.9%), while higher income households expected the lowest rates (3.9%). The net percentage of households reporting tighter (relative to those reporting easier) access to credit over the previous 12 months increased slightly, while the net percentage of those expecting tighter credit conditions over the next 12 months declined marginally.
The microdata underlying the aggregate results are available on the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) web page in the Data and methodological information section.
The release of the Consumer Expectations Survey (CES) results for July is scheduled for 1 September 2025.
For media queries, please contact:Alessandro Speciale, tel.: +49 172 1670791.
The CES is a monthly online survey of, currently, around 19,000 adult consumers (i.e. aged 18 or over) from 11 euro area countries: Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland. The main aggregate results of the CES are published on the ECB’s website every month. The results are used for policy analysis and complement other data sources used by the ECB.
Source: Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Rosneft employees are actively participating in the All-Russian campaign “Water of Russia”. Oil workers are holding campaigns in the regions to clean the banks of water bodies from garbage and household waste, and measures to develop natural sources.
Preserving the environment for future generations is an integral part of Rosneft’s strategy. The company and its subsidiaries aim to achieve leadership positions in minimizing environmental impact, improving the environmental friendliness of production, and preserving ecosystems.
As part of the Water of Russia campaign in the Samara Region, employees of Samaraneftegaz, Rosneft’s largest oil producing enterprise in the region, cleaned up a section of the coastline near the Volga embankment in Samara. The enterprise also provides support to municipalities in restoring and improving the infrastructure of natural springs. Oil workers tidied up the territories of springs and natural springs in the Bezenchuksky, Krasnoyarsk, Kinelsky districts and other natural sites. Volunteers from the enterprises of the Samara production site of Rosneft also regularly participate in the ecological expedition Springs of the Samara Region. The goal of the project is to preserve spring water sources, which play an important role in the ecosystem of the region – from providing the population with clean drinking water and feeding reservoirs to maintaining the overall water balance. Thus, with the participation of representatives of the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery, three natural springs were revived and the territory of several springs in remote settlements was improved.
Volunteers from the Kuibyshev Oil Refinery, together with colleagues from other Rosneft enterprises and activists from the regional movement EcoRavnovesie, cleared 2.5 hectares of the coastline at the confluence of the Volga and Sok rivers of garbage, collected and sent for recycling about five cubic meters of household and current-borne waste – plastic bottles and bags, cans and broken glass.
Employees of the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company implement various environmental activities to preserve the cleanliness of the Volga banks and islands, local lakes, natural springs, and coastal areas of the Kriushi and Tatyana rivers. In June, the plant workers held an eco-cleanup day on the Volga bank near the village of Granny. Volunteers cleared 2,000 square meters of the coastline and adjacent forest belt of household waste. The petrochemists also care for Lake Berezovoye in Chapayevsk, where the company’s volunteers hold an annual environmental run. Employees of the Novokuibyshevsk Oil Refinery and the Novokuibyshevsk Oil and Additives Plant, together with activists of the “Movement of the First,” cleared about 6.5 hectares of the Volga coastline of waste.
In the cities of Buzuluk and Sorochinsk in the Orenburg region, volunteers from Orenburgneft, activists from the Movement of the First, and schoolchildren from Rosneft Classes held a joint environmental campaign on the banks of reservoirs. They cleaned up more than 1 hectare of coastal territory, collecting 10 cubic meters of garbage.
In Bashkortostan, workers of the Bashneft-Novoil plant removed household waste from almost 22 km of the coast of Lake Aslikul, the largest in the republic. Volunteers helped reduce the anthropogenic load on the ecosystem of the lake, which is very popular with tourists.
In the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Yugra, RN-Nyaganneftegaz workers cleaned 1.5 hectares of the Nyagan-Yugan River coastline, collecting about three tons of garbage. This is the second environmental action by oil workers on water bodies since the beginning of summer.
In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, employees of SevKomNeftegaz and the RN-Service branch, together with representatives of organizations in the city of Gubkinsky, took part in a clean-up day on the bank of the Pyaku-Pur River. During the eco-action, 6.8 tons of garbage were collected and more than six kilometers of coastal territory were cleaned.
More than a hundred employees of RN-Uvatneftegaz, Tyumenneftegaz, the corporate scientific center in Tyumen, as well as activists of the Movement of the First, came out for an environmental cleanup day at the largest water body in the Tyumen Region – Lake Andreyevskoye. Volunteers cleaned almost 10 hectares of the shoreline and collected about 2.5 tons of household waste. The participants of the action set up a stand on the shore with information about the water body, as well as rare species of birds and animals living in its vicinity.
In the Leningrad Region, RN-North-West workers carried out a cleanup on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, clearing a section of the coastline of household waste.
Reference:
The All-Russian campaign “Water of Russia” has been held since 2014. It is part of the national project “Ecological Well-being”.
The campaign promotes environmental literacy among the population and attracts the attention of the public and the younger generation to the protection and improvement of the quality of water resources.
Department of Information and AdvertisingPJSC NK RosneftJuly 29, 2025
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
Have you ever injured yourself while surfing in France and needed stitches? Sprained your ankle while hiking the Alps? Needed to see a doctor because of your pre-existing diabetes while on holiday in Greece? Perhaps not, but in case something like this does happen while you’re abroad, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) has you covered.
The EHIC allows you to receive necessary and urgent medical care abroad, including for chronic or existing illnesses, as well as pregnancy and childbirth. It’s not an alternative to travel insurance, and it does not cover any private healthcare costs or planned medical treatments. EHIC is valid in any EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
By presenting the card, you can obtain healthcare services directly from a public or contracted provider under the same conditions and at the same costas people insured in the country you are visiting. Each country’s healthcare system is different, and services that cost nothing at home might not be free in another country. You can claim reimbursement for the costs you incur from the national institution whilst still in the country and get reimbursement directly there or ask for reimbursement from your health insurer when you get home.
More than half of the EU population has the EHIC. Applying for one is easy and free – simply contact your health insurance institution before your trip. You’ll typically receive it by mail within a few days. If you’re going to travel before obtaining the card, you can apply for an EHIC replacement certificate.
Travel with peace of mind, knowing the EHIC is there to support your healthcare needs abroad.
REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lucinity today announced the launch of its fully re-architected Customer 360 platform, now powered by Luci AI, the company’s Agentic AI framework. With this release, Lucinity replaces traditional data pivoting with real-time, explainable intelligence generated by AI analytics agents.
At the heart of the release is a new capability: Luci AI now acts as a data scientist embedded inside every investigation.
“Most compliance tools still ask analysts to do the hard work of interpreting raw data,” said Guðmundur Kristjánsson (GK), Founder and CEO of Lucinity. “We’ve built a system where AI takes on that role. Luci explores the data, explains it, and delivers deep, contextual insights, ready for human judgment. That’s what agentic AI looks like.”
From Dashboards to Embedded Intelligence
Traditional Customer 360 tools aggregate alerts, scores, and transactional data, but depend on human analysts to make sense of them. Lucinity’s new approach shifts the intelligence into the core.
Luci’s agentic AI framework analyzes behavior, patterns, and context, then prepares fully explained insights, in real time. It prepares what used to take hours of manual effort, turning dashboards into decision tools powered by embedded AI.
The experience reflects a model of augmented intelligence, where the AI prepares the analytical thinking so humans can focus on judgment, escalation, and action.
Live in Production at a Tier 1 Financial Institution
The Luci-powered Customer 360 is already in production at a Tier 1 financial institution and is rolling out to Lucinity’s global customer base in Q3. The intelligence layer integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, requiring no retraining or migration.
“This isn’t a prototype or vision slide,” added Kristjánsson. “It’s live, explainable AI solving real problems day in, day out.”
From FinCrime to the Enterprise
While the initial deployment focuses on financial crime investigations, Lucinity confirms that Luci’s AI agent framework is built for broader enterprise use. The same intelligence layer can power onboarding, QA, fraud detection, risk reviews, customer experience, and any domain where analysts need to make sense of complex data at scale.
“Anywhere an employee needs to understand complex customer data to make a decision, Luci can help,” said Kristjánsson.
About Lucinity
Lucinity is an AI-native platform redefining financial crime prevention. Its explainable agent framework, Luci, transforms compliance operations by embedding AI that prepares, explains, and supports complex decisions. Lucinity’s technology is in production at Tier 1 scale and is expanding to support use cases across the enterprise.
Emmanuel Macron’s pledge to formally recognise the state of Palestine will make France the first G7 country and member of the UN security council to do so. The question is whether others will follow suit. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, is coming under mounting pressure from many of his MPs, and has recalled his cabinet from their summer recess to discuss the situation in Gaza.
Starmer is expected to announce a peace plan for the Middle East this week that will include British recognition of Palestinian statehood. Downing Street sources said recognition was a matter of “when, not if”.
Recognition of statehood is not merely symbolic. The Montevideo convention of 1933 established several criteria which must apply before an entity can be recognised as a sovereign state. These are a permanent population, a defined territory, an effective government and the ability to conduct international relations.
The process involves the establishment of formal diplomatic relations, including the opening of embassies, the exchange of ambassadors, and the signing of bilateral treaties. Recognition also grants the recognised state access to certain rights in international organisations. For Palestinians, such recognition will strengthen their claim to sovereignty and facilitate greater international support.
However, the reaction from other major powers was swift and critical. The US called it “a reckless decision” while the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he “strongly condemned” it. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called it “counterproductive”.
Within hours, it was clear that Macron’s announcement had both shifted diplomatic discourse and reignited longstanding divisions.
France’s decision is significant. It signals a departure from the western consensus, long shaped by the US and the EU, that any recognition of Palestinian statehood must be deferred until after final-status negotiations. The move also highlights growing frustration in parts of Europe with the ongoing violence in Gaza and the failure of peace talks over the past two decades.
Yet questions remain: what does this recognition actually entail? Will it change conditions on the ground for Palestinians? Or is it largely symbolic?
So far, the French government has offered no details on whether this recognition will be accompanied by concrete measures. There has been no mention of sanctions on Israel, no indication of halting arms exports, no pledges of increased humanitarian aid or support for Palestinian governance institutions. France remains a key military and economic partner of Israel, and Macron’s announcement does not appear to alter that relationship.
Nor is this the first time a western country has taken a symbolic stance in support of Palestinian statehood. Sweden recognised the state of Palestine in 2014, becoming the first western European country to do so. It was followed by Spain in 2024.
However, both moves were largely symbolic and did not significantly alter the political or humanitarian situation on the ground. The risk is that recognition, without action, becomes a gesture that changes little.
Macron’s statement also raised eyebrows for another reason: his emphasis on a “demilitarised Palestinian state” living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security. While such language is common in diplomatic discourse, it also reflects a deeper tension.
Palestinians have long argued that their right to self-determination includes the right to defend themselves against occupation. Calls for demilitarisation are often seen by critics as reinforcing the status quo, where security concerns are framed almost exclusively in terms of Israeli needs.
In the absence of a genuine political process, some analysts have warned that recognition of this kind risks formalising a state in name only – a fragmented, non-sovereign entity without control over its borders, resources or defence. Without guarantees of territorial continuity, an end to the expansion of Israeli settlements and freedom of movement, statehood may remain an abstract concept.
What would meaningful support look like?
If France wishes to go beyond symbolism, it has options. It could suspend arms exports to Israel or call for an independent international investigation into alleged war crimes. It could use its influence within the EU to push for greater accountability regarding illegal settlements and the blockade of Gaza. It could also support Palestinian institutions directly and engage with Palestinian civil society.
Without such steps, recognition risks being viewed as a political message more than a policy shift. For Palestinians, the daily realities of occupation, displacement and blockade will not change with diplomatic announcements alone. What is needed, many argue, is not just recognition but support for justice, rights and meaningful sovereignty.
France’s recognition of Palestine marks a shift in diplomatic tone and reflects broader unease with the status quo in the Middle East. It has stirred debate at home and abroad, and raised expectations among those hoping for more robust international engagement with the conflict.
Whether this recognition leads to meaningful changes in policy or conditions on the ground remains to be seen. Much will depend on the steps France takes next – both at the United Nations and through its actions on trade, security and aid.
Malak Benslama-Dabdoub does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The NGO Coalition on Human Rights in Fiji has sharply criticised the Fiji government’s stance over Israel’s genocide in Gaza, saying it “starkly contrasts” with the United Nations and international community’s condemnation as a violation of international law and an impediment to peace.
In a statement today, the NGO Coalition said that the way the government was responding to the genocide and war crimes in Gaza would set a precedent for how it would deal with crises and conflict in future.
It would be a marker for human rights responses both at home and the rest of the world.
“We are now seeing whether our country will be a force that works to uphold human rights and international law, or one that tramples on them whenever convenient,” the statement said.
“Fiji’s position on the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestinians starkly contrasts with the values of justice, freedom, and international law that the Fijian people hold dear.
“The genocide and colonial occupation have been widely recognised by the international community, including the United Nations, as a violation of international law and an impediment to peace and the self-determination of the Palestinian people.”
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would formally recognise the state of Palestine — the first of G7 countries to do so — at the UN general Assembly in September.
142 countries recognise Palestine At least 142 countries out of the 193 members of the UN currently recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, including European Union members Norway, Ireland, Spain and Slovenia.
However, several powerful Western countries have refused to do so, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.
At the UN this week, Saudi Arabia and France opened a three-day conference with the goal of recognising Palestinian statehood as part of a peaceful settlement to end the war in Gaza.
Last year, Fiji’s coalition government submitted a written statement in support of the Israeli genocidal occupation of Palestine, including East Jerusalem, noted the NGO coalition.
Last month, Fiji’s coalition government again voted against a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Also recently, the Fiji government approved the allocation of $1.12 million to establish an embassy “in the genocidal terror state of Israel as Fijians grapple with urgent issues, including poverty, violence against women and girls, deteriorating water and health infrastructure, drug use, high rates of HIV, poor educational outcomes, climate change, and unfair wages for workers”.
Met with ‘indifference’ The NGO coalition said that it had made repeated requests to the Fiji government to “do the bare minimum and enforce the basic tenets of international law on Israel”.
“We have been calling upon the Fiji government to uphold the principles of peace, justice, and human rights that our nation cherishes,” the statement said.
“We campaigned, we lobbied, we engaged, and we explained. We showed the evidence, pointed to the law, and asked our leaders to do the right thing.
“We’ve been met with nothing but indifference.”
Instead, said the NGO statement, Fiji leaders had met with Israeli government representatives and declared support for a country “committing the most heinous crimes” recognised in international law.
“Fijian leaders and the Fiji government should not be supporting Israel or setting up an embassy in Israel while Israel continues to bomb refugee tents, kill journalists and medics, and block the delivery of humanitarian aid to a population under relentless siege.
“No politician in Fiji can claim ignorance of what is happening.”
“Many more have been maimed, traumatised, and displaced. Starvation is being used by Israel as weapon to kill babies and children.
“Hospitals, churches, mosques,, refugee camps, schools, universities, residential neighbourhoods, water and food facilities have been destroyed.
“History will judge how we respond as Fijians to this moment.
“Our rich cultural heritage and shared values teach us the importance of always standing up for what is right, even when it is not popular or convenient.”
Members of the Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights are Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (chair), Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Citizens’ Constitutional Forum, femLINKpacific, Social Empowerment and Education Programme, and Diverse Voices and Action (DIVA) for Equality Fiji.
Also, Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) is an observer.
The NGO coalition said it stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people out of a shared belief in humanity, justice, and the inalienable human rights of every individual.
“Silence is not an option,” it added.
Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network said it supported this NGO coalition statement.
On 26 November, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed two bilateral agreements – one on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and one on extradition. This is to strengthen the cooperation to combat organised crime and reduce criminals’ to carry out criminal activities in our respective countries.
No New Zealanders were on board the Handala in the latest arrest and abductions of Freedom Flotilla crew on humanitarian siege-busting missions to Gaza. However, two Australians were and one talks to The New Arab just before the attack on Saturday.
INTERVIEW:By Sebastian Shehadi
The Handala, a 1968 Norwegian trawler repurposed by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), set sail for Gaza from southern Italy on July 20, carrying around 21 people and a cargo of food, medical kits, baby formula, water desalination units and more.
The ship is named after the iconic Palestinian cartoon figure, Handala, who symbolises Palestinian identity, resilience and the ongoing struggle against displacement and occupation.
Just hours before departure, the crew uncovered deliberate sabotage: a rope tightly bound around the propeller and a sulfuric acid swap mistaken for water, leading to chemical burns in two people.
Despite this alarming start, the mission continued, echoing the defiance of past flotilla efforts such as the interception of the Madleen in June and the Israeli drone strike on the Conscience in May.
However, contact with the vessel was reported lost on July 24, with coalition officials warning that communications have been jammed and drones have been seen near the ship, raising concerns about interception or further hostile action.
The mission resumed following the brief two-hour communications blackout. “Connection has now been re-established. ‘Handala’ is continuing its mission and is currently less than 349 nautical miles from Gaza,” the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced on Telegram on July 25.
Then on Saturday, the Israeli military attacked the ship and violently detained and “abducted” the entire crew and issued a statement saying they were “safe” and on their way to Israel.
‘Handala’ was illegally boarded by Israel military in international waters, around 40 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza.
Before interception the 21 crew made this statement: if attacked they will join the global hunger strike for Gaza.
— Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) July 27, 2025
The New Arab spoke to one of Handala’s crew, Lebanese-Australian filmmaker, human rights activist and journalist Tan Safi, before the arrest to find out more about the mission and why she chose to be on board this mission:
The New Arab: How’s the mood on the ship at the moment? Tan Safi: The morale of everyone at the moment is high, as everyone is happy to be here. Of course, different emotions come up, and we talk them out, but as a collective, we’re all looking out for one another. Everyone is very caring and kind.
We are a group of 21 people from 10 different countries. We have a very proud grandmother, as well as MPs, nurses, a human rights lawyer, a comedian, an actor, human rights activists and more. We’re from many different walks of life, and we pose absolutely no threat to anyone.
We’re simply trying to challenge something illegal. Like previous Freedom Flotilla actions, we will be sailing through international waters into Palestinian territorial waters.
Australian Handala crew member Tan Safi . . . “Back in 2010, we sent a flotilla that was caught in a deadly raid. The Israelis came in a helicopter, boarded the ship and killed nine people instantaneously, while another person died from a coma years later.” Image: FFC
How are you preparing for the very real threat of Israeli violence? Back in 2010, we sent a flotilla that was caught in a deadly raid. The Israelis came in a helicopter, boarded the ship and killed nine people instantaneously, while another person died from a coma years later.
So we know very well that Israel poses a real threat.
More importantly, we’ve seen what they’re capable of over the last two years. The most horrific things imaginable. Israeli soldiers are committing endless crimes against Gazan children, and then going into the homes of the Palestinians they’ve murdered and taking selfies in women’s lingerie. We know what they’re capable of.
Any interception of our vessel would violate international maritime law. The ICJ [International Court of Justice] itself ordered Israel not to interfere with any delivery of international aid. Of course, we know that Israel gets to exist in this world by hopping over international law, without any accountability, without any real sanctions.
In terms of processing, what might happen to me? I’ve had to do it time and time again whenever I’ve joined FFC missions over the last two years. I’ve had to say goodbye to my friends and family, but also try to keep them reassured.
Sometimes I feel like I’m lying, to be honest. I tell them that “everything will be okay”. But it’s psychologically impossible to explain.
Are you worried that Handala is less protected than the last ship, Madleen, which had the global media attention (and protection) of having Greta Thunberg on board?
A Gaza Freedom Flotilla Instagram poster. Image: Instagram/@loremresists
No matter how many Instagram followers you have, your life is just as important as the next person’s. We have people on this boat who have Instagram. We have people who do.
The lives of all these people are as valuable as everyone else’s. I would just try to focus on the fact that we’re all human beings, just as every Palestinian in Gaza is. I’m more worried that Israel’s violence will expand until it’s too late, and people wish that they had done more. The time is now.
What is your message to global or Australian leaders? I’m Lebanese, but I grew up in so-called Australia, a country that has such a dark history. What our politicians forget is that so-called Australia was not theirs to begin with. Australia was, and will always be, Aboriginal land. They can try to hide their dark truths, just like Israel used to as well. But the truth will become exposed in time.
To this day, Aboriginal people are abused and discriminated against by the state. My message to Australia’s leadership is: how can you watch tens of thousands of men, women and children being slaughtered and still be enabling Israel’s siege and genocide?
The Australian embassy in Israel sent me a message urging me to “please reconsider your decision to join a humanitarian aid trip to Gaza”. If they’re so concerned about the two Australians on this boat, I would urge them to be more concerned with the millions of Palestinians who are suffering daily.
The Palestinian cartoon character Handala . . . reimagined with deliberate starvation by the Israeli military forces. Image: X/@RimaHas
Can you tell us more about daily life and organisation on the ship? We all put our hands up to volunteer for various tasks throughout the day. Some of us are more skilled in certain areas than others. For example, we have someone here from France who is a nurse, and they’re helping anyone who is feeling sick.
We have the proud grandmother, Vigdis from Norway, who loves to cook. And then someone will put their hand up to do the dishes. No one is too good to clean the toilets.
We’re all helping out to keep this ship organised. We also do shifts, helping out with the crew when needed. No one is sitting around. And if someone is, it’s because it’s really hot or the seas are rough.
What do you hope Handala will achieve, beyond potentially breaking the siege? I hope this action will encourage all forms of solidarity and, more importantly, inspire direct action. I know that protests and non-direct actions serve a purpose, but we have talked and talked and talked at length. I don’t know how people are finding the strength.
Sometimes when I’m asked to talk at events, I just don’t know what to say, because if you need me to explain this, maybe you will never understand.
But what we clearly need to do is disrupt the financial flow that enables and fuels this genocide. The BDS movement is huge. People used to look down on it and question its efficacy. But now we’re able to quantify that it’s actually affecting real, big business.
I’ve always been advocating for that and asking people to be aware of the companies they consume from, such as Unilever, Nestle and Coke. This is having a real impact on these companies that are profiteering from unethical practices to begin with, that extends far beyond the genocide in Gaza.
Direct action could also involve blockading shipments of weapons from ports and docks, as seen in Greece. It’s amazing to see more countries step up. However, we often see a lot of lip service as well. It takes everyday people to actually stand up and say: “I’m able-bodied. I’m sick to my stomach. I’m gonna listen to my instinct and explore other options”.
If protesting is not working, explore other options. If there is no direct action group, create one. All it takes is one person to begin.
Are there any final or other messages you’d like to convey? The Handala ship is the 37th boat from the FFC to travel to Gaza. There are thousands of people behind each of these journeys who make these voyages happen.
The FFC has existed for as many years as Israel’s siege on Gaza has. The FFC exists only because of Israel’s illegal siege.
We are people from around the world who are united in our shared consciousness and care for Palestine. We pose no threat. I’m looking at a bunch of toys and baby formula. We have as much food as we can carry, but our main goal is to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza because you need to fix a problem at the root of the cause.
Sebastian Shehadi is a freelance journalist and a contributing writer at the New Statesman. This article was first published by The New Arab.Follow Shehadi on X: @seblebanon
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ken Pang, Senior Principal Research Fellow and Group Leader, Transgender Health Research Group, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Gender clinics provide multidisciplinary care that helps trans people to explore and affirm their gender identity.
The number of adolescents referred to gender clinics has increased worldwide in recent years, especially among those who were assigned female at birth.
This has prompted claims that “social contagion” is driving young people – and in particular, teenagers who were assigned female at birth – to identify as trans and seek medical care.
Despite its lack of evidence, the social contagion theory has been used by critics to help fuel an international backlash against adolescent gender care.
In the United States, more than half of all states have enacted laws or policies limiting access to gender care for those under 18 years.
In the United Kingdom, laws now prohibit transgender young people under 18 from starting puberty blockers.
Evidence has now emerged of the adverse consequences of these laws in both the US and UK. This includes sharp declines in mental health and increased suicide attempts among transgender young people.
This decision was made even though a 2024 independent evaluation found that gender care in Queensland is safe and evidence-based and recommended that service capacity be increased.
Trans people seek gender care at different stages of their lives
We used data from publicly funded gender clinics in Melbourne and Amsterdam across a three-year period between 2016 and 2019. The Amsterdam and Melbourne services received 2,044 and 1,903 referrals respectively.
We found remarkably similar results in both countries. The majority of adolescent referrals (around 70%) were for trans boys and non-binary people assigned female at birth. However, among adults, this observation was flipped, with the majority of adult referrals being for individuals assigned male at birth.
Specifically, 55% of referrals of those aged in their 20s were for individuals assigned male at birth. This grew every subsequent decade, reaching around 80% for those in their 50s and beyond.
What do these findings mean?
Previous surveys from Sweden, Belgium and the United States indicate the proportion of people assigned male and female at birth who are transgender is roughly equal.
Assuming these two groups share a similar desire to access gender clinics, you would expect the number of referrals to be around the same over the course of a lifetime.
Our new findings are consistent with this expectation but the likelihood of referral to gender clinics seems to be influenced by both the sex a person was assigned at birth, as well as their age. While those assigned female at birth are more likely seek referral as adolescents, those assigned male “catch up” in later years.
So rather than an over-representation of those assigned female at birth, adolescent referral patterns most likely reflect an under-representation of assigned males.
Why is this happening?
Trans misogyny is a unique type of discrimination trans girls and women face. It combines transphobia, the hatred for and discrimination against trans people, with misogyny, the prejudice and contempt towards women.
The impact of trans misogyny is far-reaching. During adolescence, trans girls experience higher rates of bullying and victimisation than trans boys and cisgender peers.
Faced with such daunting prospects, it seems much harder for trans girls to reveal their gender identity as adolescents at an already uncertain time of their lives.
These new findings suggest we need to do more to support trans adolescents. Rather than being driven by the fear of “social contagion”, we must instead recognise and address the challenges trans adolescents, and specifically trans girls and women, face.
This article was co-authored by Freya Kahn, a paediatrician working on research projects at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Ken Pang receives research funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and the Medical Research Future Fund. He is a member of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, and the editorial board of the journal, Transgender Health.
Anja Ravine has paid membership of the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health.
Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Omid Haeri Ardakani, Research scientist at Natural Resources Canada; Andjunct associate professor, University of Calgary
Hydrogen resources have long been a multi-billion-dollar market, even before recent interest in hydrogen as a contributor to the green energy transition. The environments and conditions that result in natural hydrogen accumulation occur globally. But one of the barriers to investment in many jurisdictions is regulatory, as hydrogen had not previously been considered as a resource.
Natural hydrogen can be used to decarbonize hard-to-abate but globally critical industries. Industries that use hydrogen include fuel refining (about 44 per cent), ammonia and fertilizer production for food sustainability (about 34 per cent), and steel manufacturing (about five per cent).
According to a recent British government policy briefing document, addressing this requires governments to include hydrogen as a listed natural resource. Future uses for hydrogen may include long-distance transportation and contributions to the decarbonization of the mining industry.
High carbon footprint
Most of the hydrogen used today is produced from fossil fuels. Because of this, hydrogen production contributes about 2.5 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Efforts to produce low-carbon (green) hydrogen from renewable electricity and carbon capture and storage technologies remain expensive.
Developing strategies could determine whether hydrogen from any source is an economically viable resource. For natural hydrogen, exploration strategies have to be developed to find and extract natural deposits of hydrogen at an economically feasible cost. This also needs incentives that include natural hydrogen in exploration or production licenses.
An unusual coincidence sparked the current global interest in hydrogen. An accidental discovery of the small natural hydrogen gas field in Mali coincided with the publication of extensive historical data from the former Soviet Union, drawing attention to hydrogen’s immense potential as a clean power resource. Australia, France and the U.S. were among the first countries to re-investigate historical natural hydrogen.
Natural hydrogen and helium systems have similarities to petroleum systems, requiring a source rock, a migration pathway and accumulation in a reservoir. The infrastructure for natural hydrogen wells would be comparable to hydrocarbon wells, albeit with changes in well completion and drilling methods.
The footprint of a natural hydrogen production project would take up much less space to deliver the same amount of energy compared to a green hydrogen production facility, which requires solar or wind farms and electrolyzers.
Similarly, natural hydrogen projects do not need to draw on surface water resources, which are scarce in many parts of the world.
Some jurisdictions lack policies regulating hydrogen exploration. In others, regulation falls under existing mining or hydrocarbon policies. The lack of clear regulations in areas with high potential for natural hydrogen exploration — such as the U.S., Canada, India and parts of Africa and Europe — is a major obstacle for exploration.
An absence of regulation slows down exploration and land acquisition, and prevents the decision-making required for developing infrastructure. And critically, it means that no community consultations are undertaken to ensure the social acceptance essential for the success of such projects.
A project in South Australia demonstrates what legislation can accomplish. Once regulation of natural hydrogen exploration and capture was implemented, the government received dozens of applications from companies interested in natural hydrogen exploration.
The appetite for exploration is clearly there, but policy and regulatory solutions are required. New exploration projects will provide critical new data to understand natural hydrogen’s potential to provide green energy.
Omid Haeri Ardakani has received funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).
Barbara Sherwood Lollar receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.
Chris Ballentine is founder of and owns shares in Snowfox Discovery Ltd, a hydrogen exploration company. He receives research funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (U.K.) and the National Science Foundation (U.S.), in a joint grant, as well as the Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization and the Canadian Institute For Advanced Research.
The Gaza Government Media Office has condemned “in the strongest terms” Israel’s storming of the Handala aid ship, calling it an act of “maritime piracy”, reports Al Jazeera.
“This blatant aggression represents a flagrant violation of international law and maritime navigation rules,” the office said in a statement.
“It reaffirms once again that the [illegal Israeli] occupation acts as a thuggish force outside the law, targeting every humanitarian initiative seeking to rescue more than 2.4 million besieged and starving Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
The office also called on the international community, including the United Nations and rights groups, “to take an urgent and firm stance against this aggression and to work to secure international protection for the convoys”.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement today that the Israeli navy had intercepted the Gaza-bound Handala, and it was now heading towards Israel.
“The Israeli navy has stopped the vessel Navarn from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza,” said the statement, using the aid ship’s original name.
“The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel,” it added. “All passengers are safe.”
Freedom Flotilla slams ‘abductions’ A statement by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel military of “abducting” the 21 crew members of the Handala, saying the ship had been “violently intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza.
“At 23:43 EEST Palestine time, the Occupation cut the cameras on board Handala and we have lost all communication with our ship.
“The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized.
“The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law.”
The Handala carried a shipment of critical humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza, including baby formula, diapers, food, and medicine, the statement said.
“All cargo was non-military, civilian, and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel’s illegal blockade.”
The Handala carried 21 civilians representing 12 countries, including parliamentarians, lawyers, journalists, labour organisers, environmentalists, and other human rights defenders.
Seized crew members, journalists The seized crew includes:
United States: Christian Smalls — Amazon Labor Union founder; Huwaida Arraf — Human rights attorney (Palestine/US); Jacob Berger — Jewish-American activist; Bob Suberi — Jewish US war veteran; Braedon Peluso — sailor and direct action activist; Dr Frank Romano — International lawyer and actor (France/US).
France: Emma Fourreau — MEP and activist (France/Sweden); Gabrielle Cathala — Parliamentarian and former humanitarian worker; Justine Kempf — nurse, Médecins du Monde; Ange Sahuquet — engineer and human rights activist.
Italy: Antonio Mazzeo — teacher, peace researcher, journalist; Antonio “Tony” La Picirella — climate and social justice organiser.
Spain: Santiago González Vallejo — economist and activist; Sergio Toribio — engineer and environmentalist.
Australia: Robert Martin — human rights activist; Tania “Tan” Safi — Journalist and organiser of Lebanese descent.
United Kingdom/France: Chloé Fiona Ludden — former UN staff and scientist.
Tunisia: Hatem Aouini — Trade unionist and internationalist activist.
The two journalists on board:
Morocco: Mohamed El Bakkali — senior journalist with Al Jazeera (based in Paris).
Iraq/United States: Waad Al Musa — cameraman and field reporter with Al Jazeera.
The attack on Handala is the third violent act by Israeli forces against Freedom Flotilla missions this year alone, said the statement.
“It follows the drone bombing of the civilian aid ship Conscience in European waters in May, which injured four people and disabled the vessel, and the illegal seizure of the Madleen in June, where Israeli forces abducted 12 civilians, including a Member of the European Parliament.
“Shortly before their abduction, the Handala‘s crew affirmed that they would be hunger-striking if detained by Israeli forces and not accepting any food from the Israeli Occupation Forces.”
Israeli officials have ignored the International Court of Justice’s binding orders that require the facilitation of humanitarian access to Gaza.
The continued attacks on peaceful civilian missions represent a grave violation of international law, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
“Kia Ora Gaza is a longtime member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and supports the current Handala civil mission to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza and end Israel’s campaign to wipe out the Palestinian population.
“All governments must urgently take strong effective action to stop the genocide and occupation and end all complicity with Israel. There are no Kiwis on the Handala which was intercepted under an enforced communications blackout today.”
Activists on board the Handala aid ship before leaving Italy’s Gallipoli Port on July 20, 2025. Image: Valeria Ferraro/Anadolu
The annual Eritrean community festival in the Scandinavian countries—Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland—commenced yesterday in Stockholm with patriotic zeal. The festival, which is being attended by a number of nationals from various European countries, America, and elsewhere, was officially opened by Mr. Fesehatsion Petros, Eritrea’s non-resident Ambassador to the Scandinavian countries.
Mr. Alem Teklegergis, Chairman of the Holidays Coordinating Committee, said that Eritrean festivals, beyond being public gatherings, make a significant contribution in strengthening unity and attachment to the homeland, as well as in nurturing nationalism and noble societal values.
Indicating that the Eritrean festival in the Scandinavian countries plays a vital role in preserving national values, Mr. Alem added that the successful implementation of the festivals attests to the strong and committed participation of nationals and the effective organization of the community.
The festival, which will continue until 27 July, features seminars, a photo exhibition depicting national development programs and the activities of the Eritrean community in the Scandinavian countries, children’s and youth programs, exhibitions by villages representing Eritrean ethnic groups and national organizations, as well as cultural and artistic performances by a cultural troupe from Eritrea.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Information, Eritrea.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
China defeated the United States 81-69 in the women’s basketball final on Friday at the FISU World University Games.
China delivered a well-rounded performance, with four players scoring in double digits. Small forward Chen Yujie shot eight of 15 from the field to score 19 points while power forward Tang Ziting buried four 3-pointers out of six attempts to add 16 points.
“We told the players to play as they like and not to have any burden mentally,” said Chinese coach Zhao Xuetong.
“We had already achieved what we expected before the Games, so I just told the players to enjoy the final and that they had nothing to lose,” added Zhao.
For the United States, power forward Deyona Gaston had a game-high 21 points and point guard Sidney Love notched 15 points.
“China was very good. In the first half we had the upper hand, and I thought we got them out of their defense pretty well,” said U.S. coach Krista Lea Gerlich. “In the second half, they increased their pressure on the zone, and they were mixing it up, and it was really confusing to our kids.”
China also claimed another gold medal in archery, as Liu Yanxiu and Wang Yan defeated Japan’s Waka Sonoda and Yuya Funahashi 6-2 in the recurve mixed team final.
Three gold medals were decided in the track and field. Finland captured its first gold in the meet from the women’s 100m hurdles as Saara Keskitalo finished first in 12.88 seconds, followed by Hungary’s Anna Toth (12.88), who was just a tiny 0.005s behind. Poland’s Alicja Sielska (12.95) came third.
Belgium also secured its first gold in the Games as Elien Vekemans overcame a height of 4.60 meters in women’s pole vault. Norway’s Kitty Augusta Friele Faye was 10 centimeters lower than the winner and Canada’s Rachel Grenke recorded a personal best of 4.35m in third.
Simon Wieland of Switzerland tossed his season best of 79.33 meters to win the men’s javeline throw, followed by Germany’s Nick Thumm (78.47) and Finland’s Topias Yki Eerik Laine (75.96).
Team USA continues to lead the medal table after Day 9 of competition with 28 gold, 22 silver, and 26 bronze medals. China remains second with 23 gold, 21 silver, and 13 bronze and Japan is third with 22 gold, 13 silver, and 20 bronze.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
SHANGHAI, July 25 — A total of 170 overseas companies and 27 institutions have participated in all eight editions of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), according to a Friday press conference held by the expo’s organizer.
More than 50 countries and international organizations have confirmed their presence in the comprehensive national exhibition area of this year’s expo, with Sweden and the United Arab Emirates serving as guest countries of honor, and with Kyrgyzstan participating for the first time, the expo’s organizer has said.
This year, the contracted exhibition area for corporate businesses exceeds 330,000 square meters, the organizer noted.
Notably, the scale of participating enterprises from Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru and other countries has reached a record high, fully reflecting the confidence of all parties in China’s economy and their enthusiasm for the CIIE, Wu Zhengping, deputy director general of the CIIE Bureau, said at the press conference.
Wu added that this year’s CIIE will for the first time include a special area for products from the least-developed participating countries. It will also include an expanded and upgraded area showcasing African products, as well as a cross-border e-commerce selection platform to help small and medium-sized foreign enterprises enter the Chinese market smoothly.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
SHANGHAI, July 25 (Xinhua) — A total of 170 overseas companies and 27 institutions have joined the eight China International Import Expos (CIIE), the organizer of the expo announced at a press conference on Friday.
According to the organizer, more than 50 countries and international organizations have confirmed their participation in the national comprehensive exhibition, which will be held within the framework of the upcoming 8th CIIE this year. Sweden, the UAE and other countries will act as honorary guest countries, and Kyrgyzstan will participate for the first time.
This year, the volume of reserved exhibition space for the CIIE commercial exposition has exceeded 330,000 square meters, the organizer added.
As CIIE Deputy Bureau Director Wu Zhengping noted, companies from Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru and other countries set a record in participation, which clearly demonstrates their confidence in the Chinese economy and enthusiasm for the CIIE.
This year, CIIE will for the first time include a special zone for products from participating least developed countries. The expo will also expand and upgrade the existing African products zone and launch a “cross-border e-commerce product selection platform” to help overseas SMEs successfully enter the Chinese market. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, met with H.E. Mr. Åsmund Aukrust, Minister of International Development of the Kingdom of Norway.
The two sides reviewed ways to strengthen cooperation opportunities between the two countries and discussed a number of joint issues.
This meeting took place during her representation of the Arab Republic of Egypt at the Fourth G20 Development Working Group (DWG) Meeting and the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Development. These meetings are being held under South Africa’s G20 presidency from July 20 to 25, 2025, under the theme “Solidarity, Sustainability and Equality” in South Africa.
During the meeting, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat lauded the Egyptian-Norwegian relations, and noted that the two countries have strengthened and deepened bilateral ties across various sectors, including renewable energy and regional stability efforts.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat highlighted that the extended partnership between the governments of Egypt and Norway has been essential in boosting the economy, developing the renewable energy sector, and creating better opportunities for the Egyptian economy.
H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat emphasized Egypt’s commitment, with its expanding economy and attractive investment climate, to attracting new foreign partnerships and investments that can drive innovation, economic growth, and sustainable development.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat pointed to the most prominent areas of cooperation with the Norwegian side, which include the oil, energy, gas, maritime transport, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors, in addition to fisheries and aquaculture. She noted that Egypt is keen to expand these areas of cooperation, and highlighted that the Egyptian-Norwegian partnership in promoting investments in the renewable energy sector was a central focus of H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s historic visit to the Kingdom of Norway in December 2024.
H.E. Minister Al-Mashat added that the shared goals and mutual respect characterizing the bilateral relations between Egypt and Norway represent a model for international cooperation that will be built upon in the coming years.
She further stated that Norway’s commitment to sustainability and international cooperation aligns with Egypt’s Vision 2030 and green transformation goals.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat pointed out that the cooperation between the two countries in green hydrogen and renewable energy, which includes several prominent projects. These include a green ammonia production project from green hydrogen, a green methanol production project in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, in addition to a number of funded projects in various fields. These contribute to creating decent job opportunities for youth in cooperation with the International Labour Organization and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and promoting health and combating violence against women in Egypt in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund.
H.E. Minister Al-Mashat affirmed Egypt’s keenness to involve the private sector, especially in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, green hydrogen, maritime industries, and technology. She noted that the country provides a stable investment climate, competitive incentives, and access to key regional markets, making it an ideal gateway for Norwegian and other international companies seeking to expand into the Middle East and Africa.
She also referred to the cooperation between Egypt and Scatec, and mentioned that Egypt and Norway have historically strong economic ties, which have translated into tangible projects benefiting both economies.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat outlined that the new partnerships with Scatec enhance active cooperation between the public and private sectors and development partners, aiming to promote green transformation. She noted Scatec’s contribution to the implementation of the Benban Solar Park, one of the largest solar parks in the world, and the first green hydrogen plant in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, in cooperation with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other partners.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat also pointed to the efforts of the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation in continuing to support international partnerships and mobilize local and international financing to promote green transformation in Egypt and increase the number of environmentally friendly projects.
She pointed out that the cooperation portfolio with Scatec includes a number of projects under the energy sector of the “NWFE” program, including the green hydrogen project in Egypt, the green ammonia production project in Damietta, the 1 GW solar power project with battery energy storage solutions (BESS), and a 1 GW solar power plant for the aluminum complex in Naga Hammadi.
Egyptian-Dutch Relations
On another note, H.E. Dr. Rania Al-Mashat met with H.E. Ms. Pascalle Grotenhuis, Netherlands’ Vice Minister for International Development, to discuss strengthening Egyptian-Dutch relations and developments in the partnership between the two countries.
During the meeting, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat affirmed that Egypt and the Netherlands have deep-rooted political, cultural, and economic relations spanning several decades. These relations have witnessed significant momentum and growing cooperation at various levels in recent years.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat noted that the economic cooperation between the two countries has been an important axis in bilateral relations, with the Netherlands providing over 407 million Euros in development financing to Egypt since 1975. This assistance has contributed to supporting many vital sectors, including agriculture and irrigation, health and social affairs, transport, electricity, housing, tourism, education, and local development.
She stated that the Netherlands is one of Egypt’s main trading partners within the European continent, with bilateral trade amounting to approximately one billion Euros annually. Both sides aim to expand this cooperation and diversify its areas, especially given the available opportunities for economic integration between the two countries.
H.E. Dr. Al-Mashat highlighted the “Orange Corners” program, implemented in cooperation with the Dutch side and the private sector, to support entrepreneurs in the Nile Delta and Upper Egypt governorates. After the success of the first three-year phase, the program is now in a new cycle extending from 2024 to 2028, reflecting the shared interest of both countries in achieving inclusive economic growth and providing job opportunities for youth.
The two sides also reviewed developments in cooperation in the fields of water and climate following the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Egyptian and Dutch governments in October 2024, to enhance cooperation in coastal resource management and adaptation to climate change.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation – Egypt.
Source: The Conversation – UK – By Benjamin Selwyn, Professor of International Relations and International Development, Department of International Relations, University of Sussex
Global supply chains account for 70% of world trade. They are the arteries of global capitalism, moving goods and services across borders multiple times before reaching consumers.
Since the early 1990s — as part of economic globalisation — these networks have enabled mass consumption by delivering cheap goods made using cheap labour and shipped globally at minimal cost. But this convenience comes at a catastrophic environmental price.
The infrastructure that supports global supply chains — ports, highways, railways, data servers — has expanded dramatically, increasing the distance goods travel from production to consumption to disposal. These “supply chain miles” are a major contributor to ecological degradation.
Worse still, managing these sprawling networks depends on energy-intensive digital technologies, produced and distributed through global supply chains. Electronic waste is soaring, reaching 62 million tonnes in 2022 and projected to increase to 82 million tonnes by 2030.
Global supply chains have also driven the expansion of global markets. Argentina’s soy industry is a case in point: production surged from under 30,000 tonnes in 1970 to over 60 million tonnes in 2015, largely to feed the world’s growing livestock population.
As an expert on global supply chains, I study what can be done to remedy this environmentally damaging situation. My research shows that this problem runs deeper than logistics.
Global supply chains are a key part of the capitalist system that thrives on endless economic growth. Competitive capital accumulation (where profits are reinvested to generate more profits) drives this cycle.
While green technologies can hypothetically make supply chains more efficient, enhanced efficiency under capitalism often leads to more production, not less. Efficiency gains can reduce costs, make goods more profitable and stimulate greater investment. Energy-saving lightbulbs and digital tools, for example, have led to broader adoption and higher overall energy use, rather than a decrease in energy demand.
Better tech alone won’t reduce environmental harm. We need a shift toward a low-energy economy that prioritises human and ecological wellbeing over profit.
Public transport, healthcare, open-source software and urban food systems are examples of social provision that are often cheaper, more inclusive and more environmentally sustainable than their profit-orientated alternatives.
Greening supply chains
I’ve identified five practical steps that can reduce the environmental footprint of supply chains.
First, accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to renewables is essential. The Danish Island of Samsø went from fossil fuel dependence to 100% renewable energy by the early 2000s in the space of a decade by constructing and deploying on- and off-shore wind-power and biomass boilers. Scaling up such transitions could power cleaner supply chain infrastructure.
Second, the electrification of shipping means that battery-powered shipping is no longer science fiction. The Yara Birkeland, the world’s first fully electric cargo ship, recently launched with a 100-container capacity. One study suggests that 40% of container traffic could be electrified this decade using existing technology.
Third, by designing for durability and repair, digital and electronic products can be built to last and easy to repair. The “right to repair” movement advocates for consumer rights to fix and repair products rather than having to buy new ones and is gaining traction.
It is challenging corporate control over who can fix what. Six US states have passed laws giving consumers the right to repair their own devices. In the UK, a community initiative called the Restart Project is pushing for stronger regulations and promoting community-based repair initiatives and digital technology sharing.
Designing products that last and can easily be repaired helps create a more circular and less wasteful economy. Natali Ximich/Shutterstock
Fourth, urban transport needs a rethink. Road transport accounts for about 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. That sector could be streamlined by shifting supply chains from manufacturing millions of cars to investing in efficient and affordable bus, train and bike networks. Car-free cities and expanded electric public transport networks could slash emissions from road transport. This is already happening in places like Ghent in Belgium, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Lamu Island in Kenya and Fes el Bali in Morocco.
Fifth, supply chains can be shortened by shifting diets. Reducing meat consumption could shrink the global feed-livestock chain the vast complex of animal feed production (such as soy) underpinning the burgeoning world cattle population and its associated transport emissions.
Countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have already seen declines in meat consumption over the past decade as plant-based diets have gained popularity. The UK is also experiencing a fall in per capita meat consumption
These strategies are all tiny steps in the right direction. But, as the US author and environmentalist Bill McKibben says, “winning slowly is the same as losing”. We need much greater and more rapid transformations.
So, while parts of supply chains can become more sustainable, any efforts will be counterproductive as long as governments and firms continue chasing endless economic growth. What’s needed now is the political and cultural will to prioritise people and the planet over profit.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?
Benjamin Selwyn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
An international team of Greenpeace activists has abseiled from Scotland’s Forth Road Bridge to block an INEOS tanker from delivering its cargo of fracked American gas to the Grangemouth petrochemical facility.
The Greenpeace protest is aimed at chemicals giant INEOS, owned by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which is opposing efforts by UN Member States to secure a Global Plastics Treaty to curb plastic pollution [1]. INEOS is the UK’s biggest plastics manufacturer, producing 30-35 billion nurdles (pellets) daily at its Grangemouth plant – enough to make 60 million plastic bottles.
The action comes less than a fortnight before governments meet in Geneva, Switzerland, for the sixth and final round of negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty (5-14 August). Greenpeace is calling for these talks to agree to a cut in global plastic production of at least 75% by 2040, and for the UN to exclude lobbyists from INEOS and other fossil fuels companies from the treaty negotiations. Plastics producers including INEOS have collectively sent hundreds of lobbyists to exert their influence at every stage of the talks so far. Lobbyists have used tactics such as intimidation and harassment, to block an agreement that includes caps on plastic production.
The 10 climbers are confronting the giant INEOS tanker ‘INDEPENDENCE’. The vessel spent the last 10 days crossing the Atlantic carrying 27,500 cubic metres of ethane bound for Grangemouth where it will be used by INEOS in the production of virgin plastic.
Amy Cameron, Programme Director at Greenpeace UK said:
“Plastic pollution has reached a crisis point: it’s poisoning our land, seas, air, even our bodies. The Global Plastics Treaty offers us a once in a generation chance to tackle the problem for good, so it’s no surprise INEOS and its billionaire boss, Jim Ratcliffe, are doing everything they can to stop it.
Ratcliffe tries to distract us with sports teams and sponsorships, but we’re not going to let him fill our planet with plastic, so he can fill his pockets with profit. Ratcliffe is trying to block a strong Global Plastics Treaty, so today we’re blocking him.”
The highly-trained Greenpeace climbers [2] abseiled from beneath the bridge’s service walkway, unfurling six giant ‘Plastics Treaty Now’ banners. They will remain suspended 25 metres above the main shipping lane of the River Forth [3], preventing the tanker from reaching port with its hazardous cargo. They are supported by a rescue crew on the bridge and a boat team in the river below.
The Greenpeace protest comes during Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland. Over the past three years, INEOS Energy has made investments exceeding $3bn in the US oil and gas sector, and the US petrochemicals industry is investing heavily in new chemical and plastics production projects. Like INEOS, US Fossil Fuel giants are attempting to weaken the Global Plastics Treaty to avoid caps on virgin plastic production.
Greenpeace press officer on the ground at Forth Road Bridge: Kai Tabacek – 07984 127025
Greenpeace spokespeople are available for interviews on the ground in Scotland and in London
Please find all photos and videos of the protest HERE. Additional pictures and footage will be added as they become available.
Notes to editors
Speaking at the EFRA Parliamentary Committee on 8th July, on the UK Government’s priorities for the final plastics treaty negotiations, INEOS’s Technology Director, Peter Williams firmly opposed production caps because of potential “unintended consequences.”
The international team of Greenpeace activists include climbers from: UK, Argentina, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands and Taiwan.
The main span of the iconic Forth Road Bridge is a little over a kilometre long, around 50 metres above water level. The highly-trained Greenpeace climbers are spaced at intervals of around 20 metres in an attempt to block the INEOS tanker.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced he will recognise Palestinian statehood, drawing angry rebukes from Israel and the United States and opening the door for other major nations to potentially like Britain and Canada to perhaps follow suit.
Below are some details about Macron’s announcement, driven by a rising global outcry over starvation and devastation in Gaza amid Israel’s war against Hamas militants, as well as other nations’ position on having Palestinian statehood recognised.
WHAT DID MACRON SAY?
Macron published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France’s intention to press ahead with recognition and work to convince other partners to do the same. He said he would make a formal announcement at the United Nations General Assembly next month.
France is now the first major Western country to shift its diplomatic stance on a Palestinian state, after Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognised one last year.
WHY IS THIS SIGNIFICANT?
The decision to recognise Palestinian statehood is mostly symbolic, with Israel occupying the territories where the Palestinians have long aimed to establish that state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.
But the move by France, which is home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities, could fuel a movement so far dominated by smaller nations generally more critical of Israel.
It also makes Israel appear more isolated on the international stage over the war in Gaza, which is suffering from a wave of hunger that the World Health Organization’s chief said this week amounts to man-made mass starvation.
Israel says it is committed to allowing aid into Gaza but must control it to prevent it being diverted by militants. It says it has let enough food into Gaza during the war and blames Hamas for the suffering of Gaza’s 2.2 million people.
WHY DID MACRON DO THIS?
Macron had been leaning towards the move for months as part of a bid to keep the idea of a two-state solution alive, despite the pressure not to do so. He decided to do it ahead of a U.N. conference co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia on the matter next week to try to sway other countries considering that step, or those that are wavering.
WHAT IMPACT COULD IT HAVE ON FRENCH TIES WITH ISRAEL
Ahead of Macron’s announcement, Israeli officials had spent months lobbying to prevent what some had called “a nuclear bomb” for bilateral relations.
Sources familiar with the matter say Israel’s warnings to France had ranged from scaling back intelligence-sharing to complicating Paris’ regional initiatives – even hinting at possible annexation of parts of the West Bank.
WHO COULD BE NEXT?
France’s decision may put pressure on major countries like Britain, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan to take the same path. In the immediate term, Malta and Belgium could be the next countries within the European Union to do so.
A British cabinet minister said on Friday that Britain supports eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, but the immediate priority should be alleviating the suffering in Gaza and securing a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Germany said on Friday it was not planning to recognise Palestinian statehood in the short term, rather its priority waas to make “long-overdue progress” towards a two-state solution – Israel and a Palestinian state co-existing in peace.
WHO ELSE HAS RECOGNISED PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD?
Last year, Ireland, Norway and Spain recognised a Palestinian state with its borders to be demarcated as they were prior to the 1967 Middle East war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
However, they also recognised that those borders may change in any eventual talks to reach a final settlement, and that their decisions did not diminish their belief in Israel’s fundamental right to exist in peace and security.
About 144 of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China and India. But only a handful of the 27 European Union members do so, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.
The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to “non-member state” from “entity.”
HOW DID THE UNITED STATES, ISRAEL, AND PALESTINIANS REACT?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the decision by France, one of Israel’s closest allies and a G7 member, saying such a move “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy”.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz described it as “a disgrace and a surrender to terrorism”. He added that Israel would not allow the establishment of a “Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence”.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States “strongly rejects (Macron’s) plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly.”
“This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,” Rubio posted on X. “It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th” – a reference to Hamas’ 2023 cross-border attack on Israel that set off the Gaza war.
Thanking France, the Palestinian Authority’s Vice President Hussein Al Sheikh said Macron’s decision reflected “France’s commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people’s rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state”.
The Palestine Liberation Organization recognised Israel’s right to exist in peace at the start of the U.S.-backed peace process in 1993 that set up the Palestinian Authority in what Palestinians hoped would be a stepping stone towards statehood.
But Hamas and other Palestinian Islamist militants who have long dominated Gaza and frequently clash with Israeli forces in the West Bank reject recognition of Israel.
Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
With just five years remaining to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world faces a deepening social crisis. Economic insecurity, widening inequalities, and declining social trust undermine progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and threaten the foundations of peaceful, inclusive societies.
Taking part in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York (14 – 23 July), UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean outlined the tools, initiatives and partnerships from the UNECE region that can help develop efficient and inclusive policy solutions for some of the most pressing issues, including demographic pressure, education, employment, housing, and social care. This requires the full engagement of all of society and harnessing of several key enablers.
Enablers and partnerships to advance SDGs
To advance the 2030 Agenda, and identify efficient and inclusive policy solutions, UNECE engages key enablers and all relevant stakeholders:
These enablers and stakeholders play a strong role in co-creating and implementing standards and policies, guiding progress in many technology-driven areas, such as autonomous vehicles, the smart energy transition, cross-border connectivity, but also in environmental governance, namely transboundary water cooperation, noted the Executive Secretary at the HLPF regional session.
To unlock financing for the SDGs, UNECE prioritizes bringing together the public and private sectors through its PPP and Infrastructure Evaluation and Rating System (PIERS), a quality assurance tool that helps governments and stakeholders ensure that PPP and infrastructure projects are well designed and aligned with the SDGs and can therefore attract investors. They are crucial for building resilient infrastructure and maintaining public services.
Given the importance of local policies and action in advancing SDGs, UNECE’s Forum of Mayors promotes exchanges between cities and gives them a voice at the multilateral level.
Finally, with their valuable perspectives, civil society and youth play an important role in finding and devising policy solutions across many areas of UNECE work, which is why they are an important pillar of the UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development.
Strengthening social inclusion and adequate housing
Despite considerable wealth and innovation, the UNECE region is witnessing deep and growing disparities: between urban and rural areas, generations, and different groups. Social protection systems facing significant demographic pressures, fiscal constraints, and new labour dynamics. This requires investing in inclusive education, training and re-skilling initiatives, especially for disadvantaged groups, such as youth, women and older people, noted the Executive Secretary at the UNDESA global policy dialogue “Accelerating Social Progress to Boost SDG Implementation.”
UNECE’s work in this area shows that investing in adequate care infrastructure is not only a social imperative but also economically beneficial as it empowers people to participate in society and the economy. The upcoming World Summit for Social Development in Doha offers an important opportunity to act on commitments from the recent 4th International Conference on Financing for Development and to align both public spending and private finance with inclusive objectives.
Access to adequate and affordable housing has emerged as an issue central to achieving social inclusion and the SDGs. Through its Committee on Housing, Urban Development and Land Management, as well as the Forum of Mayors, UNECE supports national and local governments to design and implement inclusive, energy-efficient and climate-responsive urban policies and help them transform housing into a pillar of social stability, the Executive Secretary stressed at the high-level dialogue on adequate housing, co-hosted by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and UN-Habitat.
The UN Regional Commissions play a key role in convening, coordinating and driving innovative policy solutions. As the custodian of several global conventions, agreements and treaties with strong implications for multiple industries, UNECE plays a unique role in helping UN Member States to achieve social and economic wellbeing.
UNECE’s policy, standard-setting and capacity-building work across areas, such as energy, environment, trade, transport and many more, helps to boost predictability, investor confidence, as well as institutional, regulatory and policy conditions to facilitate bankable projects.
In that respect the UN80 initiative, which aims to strengthen efficiencies and coordination across the UN system, can unlock further benefits for member States, noted the Executive Secretary during her exchanges with representatives of Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Slovenia, United States, and Uzbekistan.
The General Court of the European Union has confirmed the decision of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) to invalidate Iceland Foods Ltd. exclusive right to the word mark and figurative mark ICELAND. The General Court dismissed claims of annulment brought by the supermarket chain and agreed that the term “Iceland” is descriptive of the geographical origin of goods and services and cannot function as an exclusive trademark.
The ruling confirms that Iceland Foods Ltd. can no longer prevent Icelandic companies from identifying themselves by their country of origin when marketing their goods and services within the European Union. The case is therefore of fundamental importance to Icelandic companies engaged in international trade.
„We welcome this clear outcome in our favor in a case that is of fundamental importance to Iceland,“ says Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir. „For our companies it is of considerable value to be able to clearly refer to their Icelandic origin, with all the underlying thoughts of clean air and pristine nature that it carries internationally when you identify yourself as Icelandic. It carries great value for all of us, and we tend to say it with pride. We therefore put much effort into protecting our interests in this respect.“
Iceland Foods Ltd. may still appeal the ruling on points of law within two months.
Municipality Finance Plc Stock exchange release 25 July 2025 at 10:00 am (EEST)
Municipality Finance issues EUR 20 million zero coupon notes under its MTN programme
Municipality Finance Plc issues EUR 20 million zero coupon notes on 28 July 2025. The maturity date of the notes is 28 July 2065. MuniFin has a right, but no obligation, to redeem the notes early on 28 July 2033.
The notes are issued under MuniFin’s EUR 50 billion programme for the issuance of debt instruments. The offering circular and the final terms of the notes are available in English on the company’s website at https://www.kuntarahoitus.fi/en/for-investors.
MuniFin has applied for the notes to be admitted to trading on the Helsinki Stock Exchange maintained by Nasdaq Helsinki. The public trading is expected to commence on 28 July 2025.
Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE acts as the dealer for the issue of the notes.
MUNICIPALITY FINANCE PLC
Further information:
Joakim Holmström Executive Vice President, Capital Markets and Sustainability tel. +358 50 444 3638
MuniFin (Municipality Finance Plc) is one of Finland’s largest credit institutions. The owners of the company include Finnish municipalities, the public sector pension fund Keva and the State of Finland. The Group’s balance sheet is over EUR 53 billion.
MuniFin builds a better and more sustainable future with its customers. MuniFin’s customers include municipalities, joint municipal authorities, wellbeing services counties, corporate entities under their control, and non-profit organisations nominated by the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (ARA). Lending is used for environmentally and socially responsible investment targets such as public transportation, sustainable buildings, hospitals and healthcare centres, schools and day care centres, and homes for people with special needs.
MuniFin’s customers are domestic but the company operates in a completely global business environment. The company is an active Finnish bond issuer in international capital markets and the first Finnish green and social bond issuer. The funding is exclusively guaranteed by the Municipal Guarantee Board.
The information contained herein is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, in or into any such country or jurisdiction or otherwise in such circumstances in which the release, publication or distribution would be unlawful. The information contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, any securities or other financial instruments in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
This communication does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The notes have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or under the applicable securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons except pursuant to an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act.
India’s benchmark indices declined in early trade on Friday, weighed down by sustained selling by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) and weak global cues.
The Nifty fell 110 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 24,943, while the Sensex shed 290 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 82,065.76.
Ajay Bagga, Banking and Market Expert, said, “Indian markets are pointing to a continued negative outlook as per the traded futures. FPIs remain sellers while DIIs are absorbing the selling. Key support levels are being tested, making today’s price action crucial for the market’s health.”
He added, “Earnings have largely remained weak, and with no India–US trade deal expected before the August 1 deadline, markets are entering a zone of concern. Fasten seat belts—we are seeing key support holding mainly due to resilient Indian retail investors, who continue to buy on dips and maintain faith in domestic management and the economy.”
Broad market indices were also under pressure, with the Nifty 100 down 0.53 per cent, the Nifty Midcap 100 slipping 0.34 per cent, and the Nifty Smallcap 100 losing 0.56 per cent.
Among sectors, only Nifty Pharma stayed in the green, up 0.26 per cent. Others posted losses: Nifty Auto fell 0.66 per cent, Nifty IT 0.19 per cent, Nifty Media 0.40 per cent, and Nifty Metal 0.46 per cent.
Akshay Chinchalkar, Head of Research at Axis Securities, said, “The Nifty erased all its Wednesday gains on Thursday, dropping 159 points to close at 25,062. Yesterday’s candle formed another bearish engulfing: two in quick succession, which is rare. The key levels now are 25,000 as vital support and 25,245 as resistance. Bears will retain control unless we see a close above 25,340.”
On the earnings front, several major companies are scheduled to report their quarterly results today, including Bajaj Finserv, Bank of Baroda, Cipla, Shriram Finance, SBI Cards, Schaeffler India, SAIL, Petronet LNG, Laurus Labs, Poonawalla Fincorp, Tata Chemicals, Aadhar Housing Finance, Grindwell Norton, and ACME Solar Holdings.
Meanwhile, global cues remained weak. Upcoming US–China trade talks in Sweden on Monday are expected to shape the tone for US–India trade negotiations, particularly amid discussions on Russian oil supplies.
With the RBI’s monetary policy meeting scheduled for August 6, investors are bracing for a potentially weak end to the week.
Across Asia, markets traded lower. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 0.79 per cent, Singapore’s Straits Times slipped 0.48 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.19 per cent, and Taiwan’s Weighted Index edged down 0.08 per cent. South Korea’s KOSPI was the lone gainer, rising 0.35 per cent.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Long jumper Shu Heng leaped 8.09 meters to claim China’s first track and field gold medal, while South Africa’s teenage sprinting sensation Bayanda Walaza won his second gold in as many days Thursday at the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games.
Shu Heng of China competes during the men’s long jump final at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games in Bochum, Germany, July 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
Shu improved on his leading mark of 8.07 meters from the fourth round by two centimeters in his final attempt to win the event, 13cm shy of his 8.22m gold-winning performance at the Asian Athletics Championships in May.
Japan’s Koki Fujihara finished second with 8.00m, edging Germany’s Luka Herden by four centimeters.
“Every international competition helps strengthen my confidence. Winning the Asian championship boosted me mentally, and now winning at the University Games further paves the way and reinforces my confidence for bigger stages ahead,” said Shu.
Another Chinese athlete, Xing Jialiang, the top qualifier in men’s shot put, earned silver with a throw of 20.08m, just 17cm behind South Africa’s Aiden Smith, who took gold. Italy’s Riccardo Ferrara claimed bronze with 17.91m.
Walaza, 18, a Paris 2024 Olympian, was third fastest out of the blocks and surged past Spain’s Adria Alfonso Medero in the outer lane to win the men’s 200m final from lane seven. Walaza clocked 20.63 seconds to Medero’s 20.70, with South Korea’s Lee Jae-song taking bronze in 20.75.
Walaza’s time was an improvement on his 20.93 in the heats and 20.76 in the semifinals earlier in the day.
“It’s wonderful to say that I’m the fastest in all of the universities around the world. It’s a great honor to be here and to win this,” Walaza said after the race.
“I arrived in Germany with not a lot of training under my belt, but I quickly convinced myself that I am a warrior and a fighter.”
The reigning world U20 champion also won the men’s 100m on Tuesday in 10.16 seconds, edging Thailand’s Puripol Boonson (10.22), whom he had previously defeated in last year’s junior world final in Peru.
Italy led the night’s medal haul with three golds from women’s track events.
In the women’s 200m, Tokyo 2020 Olympian Vittoria Fontana ran a personal best of 22.79 seconds to take gold, bettering her previous mark of 22.97.
Eloisa Coiro won the women’s 800m in 1:59.84 ahead of Switzerland’s Veronica Vancardo (2:00.08) and Spain’s Garcia Tena (2:00.12).
Alice Muraro added Italy’s third track gold with a personal best of 54.60 in the women’s 400m hurdles. Michelle Smith of the U.S. Virgin Islands earned silver in 55.65 and Hungary’s Sara Mato took bronze in 55.92.
Turkish Ozlem Becerek won the women’s discus with a season-best 61.15m. Sweden’s Ana Lindfors took silver at 58.80 and Germany’s Antonia Kinzel secured bronze with 58.43.
Israel claimed its first athletics medal of the meet as Jonathan Kapitolnik won men’s high jump with a 2.27m clearance. Totsuki Abe delivered Japan’s first athletics gold by winning the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.47 seconds.
Poland picked up two golds on the night. Filip Ostrowski won the men’s 1,500m in 3:46.10, and the Polish team captured the 4x400m mixed relay title with a season-best 3:15.18.
In table tennis, China’s Zhao Shang swept past Huang Yu-jie of Chinese Taipei 4-0 to win women’s singles. Vladimir Sidorenko defeated Maksim Grebnev 4-1 in the men’s singles final between individual neutral athletes, concluding the table tennis competitions.
In men’s basketball, Brazil and the United States advanced to Saturday’s final. Brazil edged host Germany 83-78, while Team USA overcame Lithuania 72-64.
“When we’re making a bunch of mistakes and we’re down, we all come together and smile and stay positive and keep working hard. I am blessed from God to be in this position I am in,” said U.S. forward Daniel Skillings Jr., who had a game-high 17 points.
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) returned to Naval Station Mayport July 23, concluding a five-month deployment across multiple geographic theaters, including the U.S. 4th and 6th Fleet areas of operations.
The crew departed Feb. 18, 2025, with their mission focused on strengthening international maritime security and relations with partner nations in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. Shortly after arrival on station, Thomas Hudner welcomed the Honorable Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, who recognized Thomas Hudner’s high-performing Sailors during his tour of Naval Support Activity (NSA) Guantanamo Bay facilities.
Upon departing NSA Guantanamo Bay, Thomas Hudner conducted trilateral operations in the Caribbean Sea with the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60), the United Kingdom Royal Navy River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Medway (P 223) and the Royal Netherlands Navy Holland-class offshore patrol vessel HNLMS Groningen (P843), enhancing interoperability among Allied naval forces. Thomas Hudner also conducted freedom of navigation operations off the coast of Cuba, reinforcing the U.S. Navy’s commitment to unity, security, and stability in the Caribbean, Central and South American maritime regions.
“The crew of Thomas Hudner has consistently proven their unwavering commitment in safeguarding America’s national security interests and maintaining the U.S. Navy’s maritime dominance worldwide,” said Cmdr. Cameron Ingram, commanding officer of Thomas Hudner. “I could not be more proud of my team!”
Throughout their deployment in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, Thomas Hudner’s crew trained and engaged in a variety of activities, from maritime security operations to joint exercises with Allied and partner navies in the European theater.
Thomas Hudner participated in several notable exercises, including Formidable Shield 2025, executed alongside 11 NATO Allies in the North and Norwegian Seas and North Atlantic Ocean. During Formidable Shield 2025, Thomas Hudner executed joint, live-fire Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) training utilizing NATO command and control reporting structures to enhance interoperability among Allied naval forces.
Thomas Hudner also conducted several port visits and collaborative operations with Norway, the United Kingdom, Spain and Greece, reinforcing the U.S. Navy’s commitment to unity, security and stability in the region. During the 81st anniversary of D-Day landings in Normandy, Thomas Hudner also had the honor of representing the U.S. Navy and hosting a reception with Adm. Stuart B. Munsch, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and various other distinguished government and military leaders in the European theater.
Following operations in U.S. 6th Fleet’s northern flank, Thomas Hudner was assigned to conduct national tasking in the Eastern Mediterranean supporting Operation Cobalt Shield. Through this mission, Thomas Hudner successfully conducted maritime security operations and promoted regional stability while executing ballistic missile defense operations.
Thomas Hudner served as the flagship for multiple distinguished visitors throughout her deployment, including the Honorable Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary; Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Christopher Grady, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander, U.S. Southern Command; Adm. Stuart B. Munsch, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa; and members of the German, French and Royal navies.
“Over the course of a five-month deployment, USS Thomas Hudner and her exceptional crew exemplified the strength of American naval power and international cooperation,” said Capt. Aaron Anderson, Commander, Naval Surface Group Southeast. “Their efforts reflect the strength of our commitment to maritime security and cooperation with our Allies.”
Thomas Hudner is a multi-mission air warfare, undersea warfare, naval surface fire support, surface warfare and ballistic missile defense surface combatant capable of supporting carrier battle groups and amphibious forces, operating independently, or operating as the flagship of a surface action group.
U.S. 2nd Fleet, reestablished in 2018 in response to the changing global security environment, develops and employs maritime ready forces to fight across multiple domains in the Atlantic and Arctic in order to ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., Allied, and partner interests.
For more U.S. 2nd Fleet news and photos, visit facebook.com/US2ndFleet, https://www.c2f.usff.navy.mil/, X – @US2ndFleet, and https://www.linkedin.com/company/commander-u-s-2nd-fleet.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Forty-five years ago, at the Lake Placid Olympic Games, a team of young American hockey players took the ice and achieved the impossible, winning against the seemingly unbeatable Soviet Union National Team. The Soviets were four-time defending Olympic gold medalists, stacked with seasoned professionals. Team USA, both the youngest-ever U.S. national team and the youngest in the tournament, stunned the world with a 4-3 victory in what became known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
Now, a congressional effort is underway to recognize these players with a Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress. U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) cosponsored legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal earlier this year. In April, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the legislation, with over 300 cosponsors.
Together, Senators Cramer and Klobuchar penned an op-ed in The Hill urging their Senate colleagues to pass the legislation to honor this historic team.
Let’s Honor the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ US Olympic Team with Congressional Gold Medals
The Hill – July 24, 2025
In 1980, the world was fraught with political division, economic shifts, and global conflict. The Cold War loomed large, American hostages were being held in Iran, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan had stoked international anxiety, and the United States was in the midst of a painful recession at home.
Yet at this time of uncertainty, a single hockey game brought us together as Americans. On February 22, 1980, a team of young athletes, mostly college students, took the ice in Lake Placid and achieved the impossible against the seemingly unbeatable Soviet Union National Team.
The Soviets were four-time defending Olympic gold medalists, stacked with seasoned professionals. Team USA, both the youngest-ever U.S. national team and the youngest in the tournament, stunned the world with a 4-3 victory in what became known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
Two days later, the team secured the gold medal with a third period comeback win against Finland. Their improbable run gave Americans a renewed sense of pride and unity during a time of deep division and uncertainty.
To commemorate the 45th anniversary of this iconic moment, we introduced the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the members of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Team.
It is only fitting that we honor this team’s achievement. It had a lasting impact on American history and the game of hockey in the United States. Once enacted, three medals will be displayed at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, Minnesota, and the Lake Placid Olympic Center in New York, commemorating this greatest sports moment of the 20th century.
As National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman once said, “The most special moments in sports actually transcend the playing surface.” In 1980, the Miracle on Ice was one such moment—when, for one night, there were no partisan divides or regional differences, only a shared celebration of what Americans can achieve together. That night, the Lake Placid Olympic hockey games transcended the sheet of ice where the 20 amateur hockey players battled for victory.
The House of Representatives has already passed this bipartisan legislation unanimously, with the support of nearly 300 cosponsors. We now ask our colleagues in the Senate to join us in honoring this historic team and the spirit of unity that the 1980 U.S. Men’s Hockey Team inspired at the Olympics in Lake Placid. We urge swift, bipartisan passage of the Miracle on Ice Congressional Gold Medal Act.
Question for written answer E-002920/2025 to the Commission Rule 144 Rasmus Nordqvist (Verts/ALE)
The state of EU surface waters remains critical, with fewer than 40 % achieving good ecological status and less than 30 % reaching good chemical status. In Denmark, only 29.9 % of surface waters are in good ecological status, and just 1.7 % are in good chemical status.
This lack of progress is closely tied to the widespread non-implementation of EU environmental law. The Commission’s fourth Environmental Implementation Review estimates the annual cost of non-compliance at EUR 180 billion – about 1 % of EU gross domestic product. The report finds EU water directives broadly fit for purpose but poorly implemented.
In Denmark, the Ministry of Environment has long failed to set binding limits for several harmful substances, hindering proper water quality assessments. These include heavy metals and chemicals such as nickel, arsenic and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Internal ministry documents suggest economic concerns for industry have influenced decisions on whether, and to what extent, to comply with EU law.
1.How does the failure of Member States such as Denmark to set limit values affect enforcement and the overall effectiveness of the EU water directives?
2.What steps will the Commission take to ensure Member States uphold environmental law over industrial interests?
We are living in an age of anxiety. People face multiple existential crises such as climate change and conflicts that could potentially escalate into nuclear war.
So how do people cope with competing threats like this? And what happens to climate anxiety when wars suddenly erupt and compete for our attention?
Climate change affects our physical and mental health, directly through extreme climate-related droughts, wildfires and intense storms. It also affects some people indirectly through so-called “climate anxiety”. This term covers a range of negative emotions and states, including not just anxiety, but worry and concern, hopelessness, anger, fear, grief and sadness.
A team of researchers led by Caroline Hickman from the University of Bath surveyed 10,000 children and young people (aged 16 to 25 years) in ten countries (Australia, Brazil, Finland, France, India, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal, the UK and the US). They found that 45% of respondents said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily lives. It was worse for respondents from developing countries.
Climate anxiety can potentially serve a positive function. Anger, for example, can push people to act to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
But it can also lead to “eco-paralysis”, a feeling of being overwhelmed, inhibiting people from taking any effective action, affecting their sleep, work and study, as a result of them dwelling endlessly on the problem.
Climate anxiety is not included in the American Psychiatric Association’s authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders. In other words, it is not officially recognised as a mental disorder.
Some say this is a good thing. The author and Stanford academic Britt Wray wrote: “The last thing we want is to pathologise this moral emotion, which stems from an accurate understanding of the severity of our planetary health crisis.”
But if it is not officially recognised, will people take it seriously enough? Will they just dismiss people who suffer from it as “snowflakes” – too sensitive and too easily hurt by the hard realities of life. This is a major dilemma.
I explore how climate anxiety relates to other types of clinical anxiety in my recent book, Understanding Climate Anxiety, recognising that there are adaptive and non-adaptive forms of anxiety.
According to Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist from the University of British Columbia, adaptive anxiety can “motivate climate activism, such as efforts to reduce one’s carbon footprint”. Maladaptive anxiety, however, may “take the form of anxious passivity”, he warned, where the person feels anxious but utterly helpless.
Identifying different types of climate anxiety, understanding their precursors and how they interact with personality is a major psychological challenge. Identifying ways of alleviating climate anxiety and making it more adaptive, and focused on possible climate mitigation, is a major societal challenge.
But there’s another important issue. Some global leaders, including Donald Trump, don’t believe in human-induced climate change, claiming it’s “one of the great scams”. He seems to view climate anxiety as an overblown reaction to propaganda pumped out by a biased media.
This can make the experience much worse for those who feel anxious but then having their feelings dismissed.
Some psychologists argue that climate anxiety can be a form of pre-traumatic stress disorder. This hypothesis arose from observations of climate scientists and their growing feelings of anger, distress, helplessness and depression as the climate situation has worsened.
In 2015, researchers devised a new clinical measure to assess pre-traumatic stress reactions using items found in the diagnostic and statistical manual for post-traumatic stress disorder, but now focused on the future rather than the past, asking about “repeated, disturbing dreams of a possible future stressful experience”, for example.
They tested Danish soldiers before their deployment in Afghanistan and found that “involuntary intrusive images and thoughts of possible future events … were experienced at the same level as post-traumatic stress reactions to past events before and during deployment”.
They also found that soldiers who experienced higher levels of pre-traumatic stress before deployment had an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder after their return from the war zone. Their hypervigilance primed their nervous system to react more strongly when anything untoward occurred.
This would suggest that we need to take stress reactions to future anticipated events such as climate change very seriously.
The crisis response
But how important is climate anxiety in the context of these other threats? Researchers assessed the emotional state and mental health of people aged 18 to 29 years in five countries (China, Portugal, South Africa, the US and UK) focusing on three global issues: climate change, an environmental disaster (the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan), and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
They found the strongest emotional engagement was with the ongoing wars, with climate change a close second, and the radiation leak third. The strongest emotional responses to the wars were concern, sadness, helplessness, disgust, outrage and anger. For climate change, the strongest responses were concern, sadness, helplessness, disappointment and anxiety.
All three crises made young people feel concerned, sad, and very importantly helpless, but climate change has this burning level of anxiety added into the bubbling mix.
It seems that climate anxiety still has this undiminished power regardless of all the other awful things that are currently happening in the world, and I suspect the stigma of being dismissed as “snowflakes” makes this particular fear response all the more unbearable.
Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?_
Geoff Beattie has received funding from the British Academy and the AHRC to investigate psychological barriers to climate change mitigation and the effects of climate change on emotional responses.
For the past few weeks the headlines about Gaza have focused on the hundreds of people who have been killed while queueing for food. The aid distribution system put in place in May, backed by the US and Israel and run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has proved to be chaotic and allegedly resulted in violence, with both Israel Defense Forces personnel and armed Palestinian gangs blamed for killing about 1,000 people in the two months the new system has been operating.
Now the headlines are focusing on the growing number of people dying of starvation.
Harrowing reports from the Gaza Strip report almost daily on the children dying of malnutrition in hospitals and clinics that simply don’t have the food to keep them alive. Writing in the Guardian this week, a British volunteer surgeon working in one of Gaza’s hospitals, Nick Maynard, described patients who “deteriorate and die, not from their injuries, but because they are too malnourished to survive surgery”.
The UK and 27 other countries this week has condemned the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” who are trying to get food and water. And yet, writes Simon Mabon, still the world’s leaders look on: “Most are apparently content to condemn – but little action has been taken.”
Mabon, a professor of international relations at Lancaster University, quotes the latest report from the IPC, which monitors food security in conflict situations. It estimates that 500,000 people in Gaza are considered to be facing “catastrophe”, while a further 1.1 million fall into the “emergency” risk category. Both categories anticipate a steadily rising death rate among civilians in Gaza.
So how can Israel’s allies apply pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to bring an end to the violence and allow Palestinian civilians access to the food, water and medical supplies they so desperately need?
Mabon canvasses a range of options. First of all, countries that have yet to recognise the state of Palestine can do so. It’s nonsense, Madon believes, to talk of a two-state solution – as the UK government does – when you haven’t actually recognised the second state in the equation.
Then they could stop selling arms to Israel. Many countries already have. But the US still issues export licenses for some weapons that are sold to Israel.
There are a plethora of other things world leaders could do to pressure Israel. Mabon recommends having a look at what the world did to isolate South Africa during the apartheid years, measures which eventually helped bring about meaningful change there.
As for Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister is reported to be considering an early election. In previous months this looked like a move freighted with jeopardy. An election loss brought on by a disenchanted electorate, heartbroken at the hostage situation and exhausted by the conflict, would probably mean having to face the charges of corruption which have hung over him for more than five years.
But recent polls have suggested a bump in popularity following his 12-day campaign against Iran. Netanyahu is nothing if not a clever political manipulator. But Brian Brivati, a professor of contemporary history and human rights at Kingston University, believes that to have a chance of winning, the prime minister will need to fight a campaign on three narratives of his government’s success: securing the release of the hostages, defeating Hamas and delivering regional security. “It is a tall order,” Brivati concludes.
Anyone following the situation in Gaza over the past 18 months will have encountered Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur for Palestine’s occupied territories. For three years she has monitored the human rights situation in Gaza and the West Bank, delivering trenchant criticism of Israel’s conduct and those who, by their inaction – and sometimes contrivance – have enabled it.
Earlier this months, the US government imposed sanctions on Albanese, because – as US secretary of state Marco Rubio insisted – she has engaged with the International Criminal Court (also subject to US sanctions) “in efforts to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel”. Also she has written “threatening letters to dozens of entities worldwide, including major American companies”.
Alvina Hoffman, an expert in diplomatic affairs and human rights at SOAS, University of London, explains what a special rapporteur does and why their work is so valuable in the defence of human rights.
To Istanbul, where delegations from Russia and Ukraine met yesterday for their third round of face-to-face talks. All 40 minutes of them. There was another agreement of prisoner swaps and the two sides decided to set up some working groups to look into various political, military and humanitarian issues – but online rather in person.
The brevity of the talks came as no surprise to Stefan Wolff. Wolff, an expert in international security at the University of Birmingham who has provided commentary for The Conversation throughout the conflict in Ukraine, points out that both sides remain wedded to their maximalist war aims. For Russia, this is for Ukraine to accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea and four provinces of eastern Ukraine, a ban on Ukraine’s membership of Nato and a much reduced military capacity. For Ukraine, it is getting their territory back and Russian acceptance of their national sovereignty, meaning it gets to determine for itself what alliances it seeks.
Donald Trump has told Vladimir Putin that, if there’s no ceasefire in 50 days, he’ll apply harsh secondary sanctions on the countries buying Russian oil and that he plans to supply Ukraine with American weapons (via Nato’s European member states, that is). Wolff believes both sides will now play the waiting game. They will calculate their next move after September 2, when the 50 days run out, and when they know more about what the US president plans to do.
Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, faces pressure from his own people. There have been days of protest at his decision to bring two formerly independent anti-corruption organisations under the direct control of the government. He argues that this was necessary to prevent Russian infiltration, while critics are saying that the Ukrainian president has launched a power grab designed to prevent independent investigation of alleged corruption against people close to him.
Jenny Mathers says these protests, which involve people from all political shades, including people who have fought in the defence of Ukraine since 2022, some with visible injuries, represents a fracture of the “informal agreement between the government and society to show a united front to the world while the war continues”.
Ukrainians protest after Zelensky signs law clamping down on anticorruption agencies.
It’s not as if Zelensky is in clear and present danger of losing his job. His party holds a majority of seats in the Ukrainian parliament, so he governs without having to depend on coalition partners. And the country’s constitution prohibits the holding of elections in wartime – whatever Putin, who regularly insists that Zelensky is an illegitimate leader because he is governing past his term limit, might think. Plus his approval rating sits at 65%.
Zelensky has been quick to soften his stance on this. Mathers says that political corruption is a very sore point in Ukraine, where there was decades of it until the Maidan protests of 2013-14 unseated the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. As she writes here, “the ‘Revolution of Dignity’ that rejected Yanukovych’s leadership and his policies was also a resounding demonstration of the strength of Ukraine’s civil society and its determination to hold its elected officials to account. Zelensky would be rash not to heed that.
He also knows it’s important for him to present a squeaky clean image to his supporters in the west. So while the protests may not present an immediate threat to his own position, he knows that unless he acts to root out corruption in Ukraine, it’ll be a threat to the future of the country itself.
But ethicist Marcel Vondermassen from the University of Tübingen believes another recent decision by the Ukrainian government is storing up trouble for the future. Ukraine has recently announced its decision to pull out of the Ottawa convention, the treaty that forbids the use of anti-personnel landmines.
In doing so, he’s following the example of Finland, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia which have all also quite the treaty in recent months for fear of Russian aggression.
But as Vondermassen points out, landmines don’t usually switch themselves off when a conflict ends and people are still being killed an maimed in former conflict zones around the world. Often it is farmers at work or children at play who are the victims. If other ways to protect countries from aggression aren’t pursued, as he puts it, in future decades we’ll still be “counting thousands of child casualties … from the landmines laid in the 2020s”.
Thailand-Cambodia: centuries-old dispute flares again
A dispute between the two south-east Asian countries that has been simmering since May flared into life yesterday when five Thai soldiers patrolling the border region were injured after stepping on a landmine – the second such incident in the past week. Both countries have sealed their border and there have been tit-for-tat ambassadorial expulsions.
Cambodia fired rockets and artillery into Thailand, killing 12 civilians. Thailand in turn has launched airstrikes against Cambodia. Both countries are blaming the other for starting it.
Petra Alderman, an expert in south-east Asian politics from London School of Economics and Political Science, traces the origins of this row, which go back to the colonial era in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
